Stuart Campbell
Stuart Campbell is a former club captain and caretaker player-manager of Bristol Rovers. He joined on a free transfer in 2004 after spending just under five years at Grimsby Town (including 8 months on loan). Previously he'd played for Leicester City and had a two month loan at Birmingham City. Although born in Corby, he has 14 Scottish under-21 caps, qualifying to play for the nation through his grandparents. He made almost 300 league appearances for the Gas in a seven and a half year stay, but scored just 3 goals in those games. Despite his low scoring ratio, his 30-yard effort against Lincoln City after just three minutes in the League Two Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg was not only a spectacular goal, but also paved the way for a 5-3 win with Rovers progressing to Wembley and the Play-Off Final against Shrewsbury Town. He is one of only two people (the other being Chelsea's John Terry) to have led his side out at both the Millennium Stadium and Wembley Stadium in the same season. After the sacking of Dave Penney as Bristol Rovers manager in 2011, Campbell was appointed as caretaker boss in the hope that the club could still avoid relegation to League Two. Although his appointment coincided with an upturn in form, it wasn't enough to avoid the drop. When new manager Paul Buckle was appointed in the summer he said that Campbell was unlikely to be a regular member of the team due to his age, but he was prepared to offer him a role as player-coach. In spite of this, after missing the first five games of the season, he was brought on as a 54th-minute sub in the 0–0 draw against Hereford United on 27 August and cemented himself in the team for a run of twelve games, the majority of which saw him play the full 90 minutes. After missing the 3–0 defeat to Port Vale on 25 October through illness he again found himself out in the cold, with Buckle circulating his details to other clubs in an effort to find another taker for his services. His relationship with the manager deteriorated further when the pair became involved in a public spat over whether or not Campbell had been made a formal offer to coach at the club and the future of his playing career, and although chairman Nick Higgs managed to negotiate a peace between the two parties irreparable damage had been done and Campbell was released from his contract on 20 December 2011 after seven and a half years at the club. Prior to his release, he had been The Pirates' player of the year for three of his last four full seasons seasons at the club. Career Playing career Stuart started out playing youth football with Corby Town, before being signed by Leicester City, where he made his league debut at age 18. He spent five seasons with the Leicester first team, but remained a fringe player in their squad. He had a loan spell at Birmingham City during the 1999–2000 season, where he played two games, but it wasn't until the following year that he made a name for himself. when he was signed on an almost season-long loan by Grimsby Town, then managed by future Rovers Director of Football Lennie Lawrence. He impressed the Grimsby Town staff enough during his loan spell to persuade them to sign him on a three-year deal for a transfer fee of £200,000 in the summer of 2001. He remained a first team regular throughout his spell with The Mariners, and was even their joint top goalscorer during the 2002–03 season with 6 goals. He was offered a contract extension when his deal expired in 2004, but he declined, opting instead to join Rovers. Following his release from The Pirates, after having spent seven and a half years with the club, he moved across the Atlantic to join the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Soccer League, the second level of football played in the United States. Career stats Record against Rovers Stuart has never played in a competitive match against Bristol Rovers. Managerial career Campbell was thrown in at the deep end when he took over as caretaker manager of Rovers on 7 March 2011. He became the fourth man to take charge of the team during a troubled 2010–11 campaign with the club lying in a lowly 23rd place in League One and in severe danger of relegation. Career stats Record at Rovers Category:Players Category:Captains Category:Managers Category:Midfielders Category:9 December Category:Players born in 1977 Category:Players who joined in 2004 Category:Corby Town Category:Leicester City Category:Birmingham City Category:Grimsby Town Category:50+ league appearances Category:100+ league appearances Category:200+ league appearances Category:Tampa Bay Rowdies